The arrival of two VitaLite systems from the Ridder Group and water tanks from Royal Brinkman mark the start of a new phase in the project"Improving water availability and safety through optimized irrigation and fertilizer application by hydroponic growers in Vietnam". The two pilot farms of the project have been busy setting up and commissioning the systems to collect and recycle drainage water. These two pilot locations enable us to share knowledge on drainage water recycling and collect data to measure the return on investments, water efficiency and fertilizer savings.
Early September 2024, HollandDoor and Fresh Studio organized the first field days to show the drain water recycling system to interested growers and organized several training sessions on irrigation and fertigation strategies in combination with drain water recycling.
Thuy Farm and Garden Mountain are proud to be the first two pilot sites to collect, disinfect, and reuse drainage water. Both farms acknowledge that although they have expanded their sweet pepper production area in recent years, they are concerned about rising fertilizer costs and the limited availability of irrigation water. Water availability is becoming an issue in certain areas of Lam Dong province, especially at the end of the dry season. This scarcity is illustrated by the fact that deeper and deeper wells are being drilled to pump up irrigation water. By recycling drainage water, both farms see an opportunity to save on fertilizer and production costs, while increasing water use efficiency.
It is encouraging to see that although the project is funding approximately 2,500 m2 of drainage water collection, both farms have independently invested to expand this area to approximately 10,000 m2 for both sites. Plans are already in place to expand drainage water collection area further in the coming period.
With the drainage water collection and disinfection system in place at both sites, the project can start to collect data to evaluate how quickly the investment in a drain water recycling system can be recouped and how much water and fertilizer can be saved. This data is important to demonstrate the benefits of a drainage water recycling system to other farms. The presence of two drain water recycling systems installed and accessible to other growers goes a long way to raise awareness among growers and help them understand how such a system works and that it is worth considering. The strong turnout and engaging discussions during the first field days, where growers visited both pilot sites, highlight the growing interest in this initiative.
Recycling drainage water impacts the irrigation and fertilizer strategies used by growers. For example, it makes it possible to work with a higher drainage percentage to optimize crop performance without increasing fertilizer costs. The ratio of nutrients applied and the monitoring of the nutrients present in the drainage water are important points to consider when recycling drainage water. Geerten van der Lugt (HollandDoor) and Lo Xuan Dung (Fresh Studio) trained growers interested in drain water recycling in these areas.
For more information, please contact Geerten van der Lugt
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